Supreme Court Expands SIT Probe Into NOIDA Land Compensation Scandal
The Supreme Court has directed the SIT to investigate past NOIDA CEOs and senior officials over inflated land compensation payments, while assuring farmers they will not face penalties.
The Supreme Court has widened the scope of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into NOIDA officials, ordering an inquiry into past chief executive officers and senior officers suspected of colluding to inflate land compensation payments. Importantly, the court clarified that farmers receiving these higher payments will not face any coercive action.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh, granted the SIT an additional two months to complete the investigation. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing NOIDA, indicated his intent to file an affidavit presenting the authority’s stance on the matter.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing a farmer allegedly given higher compensation, emphasized the need to protect landowners, stating that they should not be penalized for actions allegedly orchestrated by officials. The bench reiterated that the investigation targets officials’ collusion, not the farmers, and recorded the SIT’s request for a three-month period to finish the inquiry.
The SIT’s probe stems from findings in August 2025, when the Supreme Court ordered an investigation against NOIDA officials for allegedly collaborating with builders to pay landowners more than their entitled compensation. The SIT, headed by senior IPS officer S.B. Shiradkar, recommended that the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary submit its report to the state council of ministers to explore converting NOIDA into a “metropolitan council.”
Following these recommendations, the Supreme Court set up a fresh SIT comprising three senior IPS officers, tasked with reviewing the bank accounts and assets of officials and beneficiaries with assistance from forensic auditors and economic offence experts.
On January 23, the top court outlined four key issues for the SIT to investigate:
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Whether compensation payments exceeded amounts determined by court judgments.
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Identifying officials responsible for any excessive payments.
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Determining any collusion or connivance between beneficiaries and NOIDA officials.
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Assessing whether NOIDA’s operations lack transparency and public accountability.
The court directed the new SIT to immediately register preliminary inquiries and, if prima facie cognizable offenses are found, proceed with case registration under the law. To ensure transparency, the chief secretary was instructed to post a Chief Vigilance Officer, preferably from IPS or deputed from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), within four weeks, and to establish a citizen advisory board in NOIDA.
Further, the Supreme Court emphasized that no project in NOIDA should proceed without an environmental impact assessment approved by the court’s green bench. It also ordered that any sanction required to prosecute officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act should be granted within two weeks to expedite proceedings.
The investigation follows concerns over corruption linked to the release of excessive land compensation by NOIDA officials, initially highlighted during hearings on anticipatory bail pleas of the authority’s legal advisor and a law officer. The expanded SIT probe now covers the past 10–15 years of NOIDA’s leadership, reflecting the Supreme Court’s commitment to addressing alleged institutional collusion while safeguarding farmers’ interests.
